Animal Crossing is a "communication game" in which your character works to earn money for food, clothes, furniture and a house. Interact with other animals, such as a raccoon real-estate agent, a pelican postman and a canine policeman. A built in clock parallels the real world, and seasons and time of day both affect gameplay. The game is a real life game so the time where you live is the time on the game and the time of day affects the different bugs and fishes you can catch at that period of time.

Have you ever dreamed of being free? Doing what you want, where you want, and how you want? Well, Animal Crossing will let you experience your dreams of freedom and individuality. You don't have to clean your room anymore, just let things lay around. Or, you can design your house to what fits you best. For example, if you are a space fanatic then turn your room into a lunar landing site. Are you a gardener? Well plant as many plants as you want behind your house, or maybe your whole town. And if you hate the outdoors, then bring the garden inside your house. The decision is yours. Do as you please and enjoy this life to its fullest. Your new life starts out on a train. You have a mere 1,000 bells. As you are riding the train you meet a cat named Rover, he and you start to chat away. He asks about everything, even where you are going. Once you tell him you have no house, he flips! He tells you that he knows some guy in a near town who is renting out small houses. Rover calls the man who turns out to be named Tom Nook and you are scheduled to go and meet him. As you say good bye to Rover, you enter your new life. Then you meet up with Tom Nook who introduces himself; he tells you about the houses' condition and even lets you choose from four different colored houses. Once you pick the one that you like best he asks you for 20,000 bells! Since you have only 1,000 it looks like you will have to work for him at his shop to help pay it off. And that marks the point of your arrival into the wonderful world of Animal Crossing! Enjoy your new and interesting life!

As you collect furnishings for your own house, check out what other villagers have collected for their houses. Build relationships by talking to other villagers, helping them with tasks and writing letters back and forth. Throughout the game, you'll collect an assortment of items, artifacts, plants, and animals. Have some extra fun by going fishing or searching for all kinds of insects. To ensure your town will be a desirable place for animals to live, you can plant flowers and trees, pick weeds, and pick up trash. Whether you decide to contribute to the Museum, or just go out for a quiet fishing session on the waterfront, the experiences that you can have in Animal Crossing are endless.